Moments after the chequered flag waved at the end of the thrilling Italian Grand Prix at historic Monza, the barriers opened and thousands of fans, the vast majority wearing bright red jerseys, flooded the track in search of a podium finish. And for good reason.
To cheer on their triumphant heroes, like Charles Leclerc who achieved the unlikely, if not impossible, feat to win the Italian Grand Prix.
In a sport that rewards boldness, Ferrari was the boldest on Sunday, leaving both Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr. on the track on the old hard tyres and opting for a one-stop approach when all their rivals had completed double stops. It was a calculated risk given where their rivals were on the track. If it had failed, Leclerc and Sainz would have only dropped to third and fourth, but still an improvement from where they started.
But in this sport, everything is a risk and there are no guarantees, and McLaren's speedy duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris eventually overtook Sainz but could not get past the Monegasque, who took his first SF-24 victory on the hard tyre after 38 laps.
The win sent the tifosi into ecstasy and marked another incredible chapter in an already magical F1 season.
In a season filled with many beautiful and artistic moments, Leclerc achieved two of these victories: the first was a home victory, as the Monegasque finally conquered the circuit in Monte Carlo, the city where he learned to drive.
Then Sunday came. Leclerc had won at Monza before with Ferrari, but this year was different. It was a win at Monza when Ferrari was clearly behind, when he had to push the car, the tyres and himself beyond the limits.
“I didn't expect anything like this going into the race today. I thought we would struggle a bit more compared to McLaren and also compared to Mercedes, who looked to have really good pace on Friday. But after a few laps I saw and felt the car was in good shape,” Leclerc said in the post-race FIA press conference. “Maybe Oscar was a bit quicker. It was hard to see the pace because Lando was behind me. And when I got undercut I thought, 'Okay, maybe I'm going to miss out on the win here.' But then, once they both pitted, I actually got a lot more front grip and had some free air up front. And as they said, I was the last car so I didn't have much to lose by trying a one-stop.”
“But we did a really good job with the front-left, which was very difficult for everyone. There was quite a bit of grain on the front, but we managed to get some front grip again, which is what got us the win today. I'm really happy to be on the podium in front of all the spectators. Tifosi It's been a very exhausting week… It's an incredible feeling to race for Ferrari at Monza, but it's also very exhausting, and to win here is very special.”
There were many winners and a few losers at Monza on Sunday, but none greater than the drivers, all their teams and the thousands of red-clad supporters who chanted their names.
Forza Ferrari
Winner: McLaren
Overall, it was a good day for McLaren. With Piastri in second place and Norris in third, plus the extra points for setting the fastest lap at the Italian Grand Prix, McLaren have closed the gap to leaders Red Bull in the F1 Constructors' Championship to just eight points. With eight race weekends remaining, that gap is sure to close further and it seems only a matter of time before McLaren takes the lead in that battle.
Additionally, Max Verstappen's sixth place meant Norris moved one step closer to becoming the top Red Bull driver in the drivers' championship standings, with Norris now just 62 points behind Verstappen.
Yes, it was a great day for McLaren at Monza. There's nothing else to see…
Loser: McLaren
You really didn't think we'd leave things there, did you?
McLaren achieved two double podiums this year, at the Hungarian Grand Prix and twice on Sunday, but those two races left the team facing more questions than answers. At the Hungaroring, questions centered around how McLaren handled team orders and whether they told Norris to step aside in the closing stages to let Piastri retake the lead. A one-two finish in Hungary gave them 43 points for the weekend, the most of any team in the sport, but the result left some disappointed.
Sunday was another disappointment for anyone wondering if double podiums are even possible in this sport. McLaren had to settle for second and third place despite monopolizing the front row in qualifying. Norris has yet to start from P1 and take an opening lap lead despite having secured two consecutive pole positions. And it was team-mate Piastri who took the lead on Sunday, catching Norris at the first chicane and dropping him to third.
They were leading in first and second place midway through the race, but both drivers were forced to pit for a second time with severe deterioration of their front-left tyres, giving Ferrari the opportunity to make a bold gamble.
In the end, both drivers were very open and honest about their disappointment.
“Yes, it hurts. I won't lie, it hurts a lot. We did a lot of things well today and I know there were a lot of question marks on the strategy going into the race,” Piastri told Nico Rosberg trackside. “Yes, one stop seemed a very risky decision with the state of the tyres but in the end it was the right one. So I'm very happy with the pace and we managed to get the race done. But to finish second really hurts.”
“It's quite disappointing, yeah, it's obvious from the outside,” Norris said at the FIA press conference. “Honestly, Charles drove a great race. I don't know if we could have done what he did today, but they deserved it. Yes, Oscar and Charles both drove good races, so yeah, it's disappointing to start from pole and finish third, especially when I thought the pace was very good. So it's disappointing, but that's the way it is.”
Let's not forget how much McLaren have come in the past 18 months. At the 2023 Bahrain Grand Prix, Piastri finished 20th and Norris two laps down in 17th. A double points result seemed light years away, let alone a double podium. Sunday's result at Monza is still a good one for the team, and they are now within single digits of Red Bull.
But Sunday could have gone great and they could have left the Temple of Speed with an outright lead in that battle.
The questions left after Hungary are still hanging in the air after Monza: how will they deal with the two drivers in the final stages? Will they at some point prioritise Norris and push him further in the drivers' championship? F1TVHe is a long-time and talented F1 analyst. These questions and more came to mind after the Italian Grand Prix.He pointed out why the two drivers were not swapped on the final lap when it was clear Piastri could not catch Leclerc, and Norris would have picked up an extra three points over Verstappen if he had finished second.
for Apple News Readers can read Mr Buxton's full comments at the link above.
McLaren have a long two weeks to go until Baku and there's a lot to iron out, and again, their progress from the start of 2023 to this moment has been remarkable, but Sunday could have been even better for them.
Winner: Williams
An action-packed week at Williams ended with two points from Alexander Albon and a strong debut for rookie driver Franco Colapinto.
The week started with a shock promotion for Colapinto, as the team announced he would replace Logan Sargent for the remainder of the F1 season, but by the end of the week Albon had finished 10th, was promoted to 9th after Kevin Magnussen was penalised and Colapinto finished 12th despite starting 18th.
It's also worth noting that while Ferrari are basking in the glory of the one-stop strategy that helped Leclerc win and Sainz secure fourth place, Williams also pulled off the same strategy with success: both drivers started the day on the medium compound, with Colapinto pitting on lap 17 to switch to hard tyres, and Albon doing the same the following lap.
Both drivers then took the FW46 to the finish line, with Albon scoring a points finish and Colapinto impressing on debut.
“A tense afternoon but a great finish! After a disappointing weekend last week, the team bounced back with a solid performance. Alex drove great today on a successful one-stop strategy, holding off Alonso who made two stops and staying close to Magnussen who was ahead of us after receiving a 10-second penalty. His ninth place was well deserved and he will be very pleased to be back in the points,” said Williams sporting director Sven Smeets in the team's post-race report. “Franco had a great first race, starting from 18th and overtaking a few cars early on, as well as a well-managed long stint on the hard tyre on a successful one-stop strategy. He can look back on an impressive first weekend and a well-deserved 12th place.”
Loser: Red Bull
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Photo by Peter Fox – Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images
Alarm bells were already ringing in the Red Bull garage after Norris' impressive victory over Verstappen by 22 seconds at the Dutch Grand Prix.
But if there was any silver lining for Red Bull a week ago, it was the layout at Zandvoort: the tight, twisty circuit offered plenty of downforce and seemed ideal for the MCL38, but Monza might be more fertile ground for Red Bull and the RB20.
That was not the case.
Verstappen finished sixth, while his teammate Sergio Pérez finished eighth. On Sunday, Verstappen had the chance to briefly hold off Norris, who was hot on his tail after his second pit stop.
However, Verstappen couldn't offer much of a resistance and could only watch as the MCL38 passed him at breakneck speed down the main straight.
There are now five alarm bells ringing around Red Bull, and Dr Helmut Marko was one of the first to voice his concerns. tell Telegraph Verstappen said the RB20 may not be competitive until the United States Grand Prix in October, before declaring the car a “monster” in its current form and a direct threat to both the constructors' and drivers' championships.
To make matters worse, Verstappen admitted after the race that engine issues had prevented him from performing at his best in the closing stages on Sunday.
“It didn't help that we had engine problems so we weren't at full power for most of the race,” Verstappen said. “So overall it was a pretty bad race.” [The engine issue] At the moment it's really bad and we have a lot of work to do before Baku to basically change the whole car.”
Red Bull have eight race weekends remaining to compete against McLaren, with Verstappen and Norris still holding a large lead.
But if their issues truly carry over to Austin, they may truly miss out on both championships.
Winner: Formula 1
As mentioned at the beginning, this season in F1 has been a success on many fronts.
And it couldn't have come at a better time for the sport and its fans.
Consider the moments this season has brought: seven different Grand Prix winners. Leclerc, who made his breakthrough in Monaco and tasted victory again on Sunday at Monza. Norris taking his first win and then Piastri, too. Lewis Hamilton tasting his first victory since 2021, in what was his final British Grand Prix with Mercedes.
Add to that the two title battles – Red Bull vs McLaren in the constructors' championship and Verstappen vs Norris in the drivers' championship – and it looks like this will be a season that will be talked about for years to come.
Think about it, we have eight more race weekends to go.
Savor every moment because every week you witness something magical.
